Introducing Kathy Sparrow, Literary Midwife & Founder of A Writable Life

One of the things I mentioned earlier is creating your publishing company, or imprint. Instead of using “self-published,” it’s better to create a publishing company and here’s why: By setting up your own imprint and creating a logo, you can then create the look and feel of a small press, versus looking self-published. Not only does this appear more professional, some book reviewers may not review independently published books. Here's how it works: First come up with your publishing company name, such as Red Rose Press, Blue Sky Publishing, or whatever you want. Then, do an internet search and see if that name’s being used. If not, GREAT! If yes, you might have to make some changes so that your publishing imprint is not an infringement of another company. Next, check with your local Secretary of State, which you can usually do online and make sure that the name isn’t being used. It’s a good idea to talk to your tax accountant to see what is the best type of business to set up, but in most cases, a simple sole proprietorship will work just fine. The reason that you want this set up correctly is that it will legitimize your publishing and also provide you whatever tax incentives are in your state. Again, I’m not a tax professional, so get some guidance on what’s best for you. If you already have an established business, simply create your publishing as a DBA under your company name. Next, search for your domain names. Instead of searching on GoDaddy, it’s best to just do an internet search first, as the more you search on GoDaddy, the domain price goes up. And, when you’ve got your book title finalized, be sure to buy the domain for your book title as well. This allows your webmaster to create a website that is suited to your needs and can use the domains you’ve purchased for your publishing imprint and book title. For your logo, there’s no need to spend a lot of money. If you don’t already have a graphics person available, check and see if you can find someone to create a simple logo for your publishing imprint. Fiverr and Upwork are excellent resources. Keep in mind that your publishing logo will appear on either your copyright page or title page, and on the back cover and spine, so keep it simple. Finally, when opening your accounts and purchasing your ISBNs, do EVERYTHING under your new publishing company name. And don’t forget to keep all receipts, invoices and other items for tax purposes. You’ve now created your own publishing company and can publish all your books under that imprint. Congratulations!